ABSTRACT
Abstract Introduction The existence of a general factor related to psychiatric symptoms is supported by studies using a variety of methods in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Objectives This study aims to evaluate the replicability of the internal structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory in a large Brazilian sample. Methods Participants were 6,427 Brazilian subjects (81% female). Mean age was 42.1 years (standard deviation [SD] = 13.6, Min = 13, Max = 80). All participants completed the online version of the Brief Symptom Inventory. This scale presents a general score (GSI) and nine specific clusters of symptoms (depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, interpersonal sensibility, psychoticism, paranoid ideation, obsessive-compulsive behavior, hostility, and somatization symptoms). Results Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess the factor structure of the BSI. The results showed that the best-fitting model was a bifactor solution and the general factor was the main dimension explaining most of the reliable variability in the data. Conclusion The findings suggest that the BSI's internal structure was replicated in a non-clinical sample and that the general factor is the most reliable score. However, it is necessary to better understand the meaning of the general factor scores in a non-clinical sample to increase interpretability of scores.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in occupational behaviors, affecting millions of workers. This study aimed to assess changes in various perceptions about work at the beginning of the pandemic in Brazil, and six months later. 702 individuals of both sexes (566 females, 80.62%), aged between 16 and 75 years (M=41.8; SD=13.5), residents in 24 different states of Brazil (most from the Southeast region, 59.26%) participated in this research and answered an online survey about their work experience during the pandemic at two different timepoints. The questionnaire included questions about increased/decreased productivity, fear of contamination by COVID-19 at work, need for going out to work, performing voluntary work, waiting for the return of their work/study activities, previous/current experience working-from-home, use of video conference programs, performing voluntary work to fight COVID-19, job loss and incidence of health problems that prevented the participant from carrying out daily/work/study activities. The results indicated that workers experienced new ways of performing their activities, changed their perceptions about their productivity, how/where they worked, and how they felt about their routine, although the majority of variables remained stable between timepoints.(AU)
A pandemia da COVID-19 resultou em mudanças nos comportamentos ocupacionais, afetando milhões de trabalhadores. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as mudanças em diferentes percepções sobre o trabalho no início da pandemia no Brasil e seis meses depois. 702 indivíduos de ambos os sexos (566 sexo feminino, 80,62%), com idade entre 16 e 75 anos (M = 41,8; DP = 13,5), residentes em 24 diferentes estados do Brasil (maioria da região Sudeste, 59,26%) participaram e responderam a uma pesquisa online sobre sua experiência de trabalho durante a pandemia em dois momentos diferentes. O questionário incluía questões sobre aumento/diminuição da produtividade, medo de contaminação pelo COVID-19 no trabalho, necessidade de sair para trabalhar, realização de trabalho voluntário, espera pelo retorno de suas atividades de trabalho/estudo, experiência anterior/atual de trabalho remoto, utilização de programas de videoconferência, realização de trabalho voluntário de combate ao COVID-19, perda de emprego e incidência de problemas de saúde que o impediram de realizar atividades cotidianas/laborais/de estudo. Os resultados indicaram que os trabalhadores vivenciaram novas formas de realizar suas atividades, mudaram suas percepções sobre sua produtividade, como/onde trabalhavam e como se sentiam em relação ao seu cotidiano, apesar da maioria das variáveis se manterem estáveis entre os dois momentos.(AU)
La pandemia del COVID-19 resultó en cambios en los comportamientos ocupacionales, afectando millones de trabajadores. Este estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar los cambios en diferentes percepciones sobre el trabajo en el inicio de la pandemia en Brasil e seis meses después. 702 individuos de ambos sexos (566 mujeres, 80,62%), con edades entre los 16 y 75 años (M=41,8; DP=13,5) 702 individuos de ambos sexos (566 mujeres, 80,62%), con edades entre 16 y 75 años (M = 41,8; DT = 13,5), residentes en 24 estados diferentes de Brasil (la mayoría de la región Sudeste, 59,26%) participaron en esta investigación y respondieron a cuestiones sobre su experiencia de trabajo durante la pandemia en dos momentos distintos. El cuestionario on-line incluía preguntas sobre aumento/disminución de la productividad, miedo a la contaminación por COVID-19 en el trabajo, necesidad de salir a trabajar, realizar trabajo voluntario, esperar el regreso de sus actividades laborales/de estudio, experiencia previa/actual trabajando home office, uso de programas de videoconferencia, realización de trabajo voluntario para combatir COVID-19, pérdida de empleo e incidencia de problemas de salud que impedían al participante realizar actividades diarias/laborales/de estudio. Los resultados indicaron que los trabajadores vivenciaron nuevas formas de realizar sus actividades, cambiaron sus percepciones sobre su productividad, como/donde trabajaban y como se sentían en relación a su cotidiano, aunque la mayoría de las variables se mantuvieron estables entre los dos momentos.(AU)